Treatment Options

If your child is diagnosed with hearing loss, Hearing Evaluation Services (HES) will develop a comprehensive treatment plan designed to allow your child to succeed developmentally, academically, and socially. The type of hearing loss plays a significant role in a child’s treatment which is why early diagnosis is key to the treatment process. There are two types of hearing loss, conductive and sensorineural, and each has its own set of treatment options (listed below).  Though the following solutions are common, they are only applicable to the type of hearing loss. Other factors such as the degree of hearing loss and lifestyle will also be considered. Deciding how to treat hearing loss can only be done after the child has undergone a thorough hearing evaluation.

 

Hearing Devices for Infants & Children

Once a child has been diagnosed with a permanent hearing loss they should be fit with hearing devices as soon as possible, even if they are infants, in order to maximize their speech and language development skills and academic success. The child’s home and academic environments are considered during the evaluation to ensure that appropriate technology is selected. Hearing Evaluation Services (HES) realizes that in order for a hearing aid fitting to be successful for a child there needs to be a close, collaborative effort between the family, school and audiologist. That is why we work closely with the family and the school to ensure that there is a continuum of care and that everyone is working together in the best interest of the child. To learn about different Styles, Features, and more visit our Hearing Aid section.

 

Verification

For a hearing aid fitting to be successful, the instrument must also be set properly for your child’s hearing loss.  HES uses verification equipment called, VeriFit, which ensures that the hearing instruments are programmed appropriately with optimal volume and clarity of speech. The VeriFit system provides this information objectively, which is particularly important when working with young children who are unable to provide feedback about how they’re hearing.

 

FM Systems

Frequently, children benefit most from hearing aids in conjunction with an FM system at home and/or at school.  HES works closely with your child’s school district to ensure that the selected hearing aid can be used with an FM system at school.

FM systems are also ideal for hearing-impaired children to use in school.  The teacher speaks into a lapel-worn microphone and the sound is transmitted directly to the child’s hearing device(s), allowing the child to hear the teacher’s voice over the background noise.  This is also useful when the teacher is writing on the board and has their back to the class.  For more specific information see FM systems.

 

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